Role of Ischemia Modified Albumin Serum Levels as an Oxidative Stress Marker in Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) is a biomarker that has been introduced recently for use in the evaluation of the oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to measure the ischemia modified albumin serum levels in pediatric patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) during acidosis and after the patient recovered from acidosis and to compare these with the control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pediatric patients with Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM), who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with the diabetic ketoacidosis were assigned as the study group and healthy children who were admitted to outpatient clinic and decided as healthy after clinic and laboratory evaluation were selected as the control group. IMA and adjusted IMA levels were evaluated in the blood samples from the control group and the study group when the first time admitted to the intensive care unit during the acidosis period (DKA before treatment, DKA-BT), and after recovered from acidosis (DKA after treatment, DKA-AT). RESULTS: A total of 24 pediatric patient with diabetic ketoacidosis and 30 healthy control child matching age and sex were included in the current study. The albumin levels in pediatric patients with T1DM during DKA-BT were higher than the albumin levels after acidosis (4.101±0.373, 3.854±0.369 g/dL, respectively) (p<0.05). However, there was not any significant difference when these values were compared to the control group. Mean values of IMA and Adj-IMA were statistically higher in DKA-AT compared to the control group (0.748±0.150 vs 0.591±0.099, p < 0.001; 0.708±0.125 vs 0.607±0.824, p < 0.001, respectively). IMA and adjusted IMA level measured after recovered from acidosis was significantly higher compared to the level of IMA during DKA (0.748±0.150 vs 0.606±0.105 as absorbance unit, p<0.001; 0.708±0.125 vs 0.625±0.100, p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: In children with T1DM, even though acidosis recovered following the treatment in diabetic ketoacidosis, which is an oxidative stress marker, the ischemia modified albumin levels and adjusted ischemia modified albumin levels were high.